What began as me getting word that Walt Disney Imagineering was holding a mysterious press conference with no topic specified ended with the surprise announcement of a new “Avatar” land coming to Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom theme park based on James Cameron’s hugely successful film. The surprise has been jokingly referred to as “out of the blue,” but that doesn’t even do it justice. Details are scarce about the project, as it’s still early in the “blue sky” phase, during which Disney doesn’t make a habit of announcing projects. But it seems they felt the need to announce this one early, perhaps before it had a chance to leak, as many major secrets seem to do. Rides, dining, shopping, and entertainment will be part of the Pandora-themed area of Animal Kingdom – but not much else is known.

And when the announcement hit, it took over two hours of my day, not only so I could properly write about it but also for the intense discussion that followed on Inside the Magic, Twitter, and Facebook. Hundreds upon hundreds of split opinions flew faster than I’d seen before. This was clearly a big story, drawing equal numbers of positive, negative, and indifferent replies.

My web server saw its heaviest traffic to date, bringing it to its digital knees at times. It was the most traffic Inside the Magic has seen since reports came in from the terrible earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March. Links passed around Twitter and Facebook sent thousands of visitors our way in a short amount of time. And less than 12 hours later, the story entered the top 5 most-commented articles of all time on the site, rivaling months of chatter about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It’s not all positive, but it is talk and they say any publicity is good publicity. And in this case, Disney’s surprise announcement spread wide and fast.

Though not everyone is thrilled with the idea of the world of “Avatar” being added to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I’ll personally reserve judgement until I see actual plans for attractions and the whole themed area. I’m not a big Harry Potter fan, but I love Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It’s an astounding achievement in themed entertainment. Likewise, James Cameron’s Terminator 2: 3D attraction is still one of my favorites, despite its age. So I have hope that Disney’s Imagineers, working with Cameron, will create an exciting theme park addition so entertaining and inventive that won’t be necessary to be a fan of the “Avatar” film (and its upcoming sequels) to enjoy it. In the meantime, I’m happy this crazy news day has concluded and I’m ready to return to Halloween season at the theme parks!

(I should also mention that while I was covering the announcement details as they were revealed, I was not personally at Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, Calif. today, so I did not take this photo of James Cameron, Bob Iger, Tom Staggs, and other creative team members. Disney released it.)

With Halloween Horror Nights and Howl-O-Scream both featuring haunted houses based on Edgar Allan Poe stories this year, I wanted to reread his most popular works before attending the events this week. While I have much of “The Raven” memorized, it’s been quite a few years since I last read tales like “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher,” all of which I read through tonight. I also recently reread the poems “Lenore,” “The Bells,” and “Annabel Lee.” And before attending the Horror Nights preview Wednesday night, I will try complete “The Purloined Letter,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Cask of Amantillado,” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and maybe a couple more short stories. I’m guessing these most famous pieces are the ones that will be represented in the houses and I want to make sure I’m up on all the details before experiencing them firsthand!

I just received the following press release about the D23 Expo detailing all of the events, appearances, and everything else that will be taking place during the convention in a couple of weeks. Information has been trickling out over the last two weeks so it’s nice to see it all summarized in one spot:

For four incredible days beginning September 10, fans of Disney entertainment will revel in new discoveries, special panels and presentations, movie screenings, celebrity appearances and autograph signings, plus new insights into movies, TV shows, theme parks, animation, Disney history and more.  It’s all part of the first-ever D23 EXPO from Sept. 10-13 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Exciting details about the activities and events planned for the four days of Disney’s inaugural D23 EXPO have just been announced, and a complete, up-to-the-minute schedule can be found online at www.D23Expo.com.  The D23 EXPO is open to the public. Tickets for individual days or the full four days of this Ultimate Disney Fan Event are available at the website.  Highlights of the D23 EXPO include:

Exclusive Screenings & Sneak Peeks

The D23 EXPO will offer guests the chance to get sneak peeks of upcoming Disney movies like The Princess and the Frog,TRON: Legacy, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Rapunzel, Disney’s A Christmas Carol, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and many others. The D23 EXPO also will present the U.S. premiere screenings of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in Disney Digital 3D™.  More than that, the D23 EXPO will present several classic movies on the big screen, including the original Tron, Sleeping Beauty, The Shaggy Dog, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, along with other exciting screening events.  The ABC House Screening Room will present screenings of new television entertainment, including ABC’s vibrant new fall schedule.

Special Presentations and Panels

The D23 EXPO will offer fascinating explorations of the past, present and future of Disney.  Throughout the four days, scores of special panels and presentations will bring new insight into Disney history, let guests go “behind the magic” of Disney theme-park attractions and movies, and get fans up close and personal with the Disney legacy of unforgettable entertainment.

D23 EXPO Show Floor

A giant show floor filled with incredible pavilions and interactive areas assembles the entire world of Disney under one roof. From Disney’s global theme parks to the Company’s environmental initiatives, the show floor includes a collector’s area, a gathering of Disney licensees, an eight-room “home” showcasing an amazing array of Disney merchandise, and new technologies being developed by Walt Disney Imagineering. The show floor is the heart of the D23 EXPO. It will also be home to the “ABC House Screening Room,” a sign-up area for the “Lost University,” and kid-friendly play areas that make the D23 EXPO an exciting event for all ages of Disney fans.

“Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives”

The legendary Walt Disney Archives will assemble a never-before-seen collection of more than 100 props, costumes and one-of-a-kind items from more than eight decades of Disney creativity.  For the first time ever, the Archives also will present a retrospective of props and costumes from the classic “Captain EO” attraction in which Michael Jackson thrilled theme-park audiences in 3D.

Arena Presentations

The 4,000-seat Anaheim Convention Center Arena will be home to spectacular presentations throughout the four days of theD23 EXPO.  Disney President and CEO Bob Iger will kick off the entire event with an unforgettable presentation that includes a 30-minute glimpse at the upcoming animated feature The Princess and the Frog and a live performance by its vocal star,Anika Noni Rose.  Other Arena presentations will incorporate surprise celebrity appearances as D23 EXPO guests learn about the future of ABC, Disney movies, theme parks, animation and more.

Celebrity Appearances

Celebrities from both current and classic Disney projects (both on screen and behind the scenes) will be on hand throughout the D23 EXPO, and are currently scheduled to include: X Atencio, Jake T. Austin, Kathryn Beaumont, Richard Bellis, Tom Bergeron, Bruce Broughton, Cheryl Burke, Maria Canals-Barrera, Marge Champion, Ron Clements, Mary Costa, Alice Davis, David DeLuise, Joseph Fiennes, Michael Giacchino,  Blaine Gibson, Selena Gomez, Kelsey Grammer, Don Hahn, David Henrie, Patricia Heaton, Tommy Kirk, Steve Lisberger, Joel McNeely, Brendan Milburn, John Musker, Ed O’Neill, Marty Sklar, Jennifer Stone, Valerie Vigoda and many more.

Family Activities

Disney Consumer Products will give D23 EXPO guests the chance to explore a host of activities for the entire family, including a Disney Creativity Center hosted by Crayola, the Disney Princess Storytime and Royal Manners event, the Baby Einstein World of Discovery Center, and a magnificent live LEGO building event in which Master Builders will invite guests to join them to construct a life-sized mural of Disney characters, paying homage to the innovation of Disney and LEGO. There will be appearances by best-selling authors, fine artists, and toy designers. There will also be a series of fashion shows featuring the latest styles from Disney Couture, Disney Couture kids and the Wizards of Waverly Place collection. Guests will have the opportunity to tour the first-ever Disney Dream Home and to go “behind the fairy tale” at the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings showcase.

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